I just read your article "Holding a passport 'hostage'" and would like to share my experience with you. This problem is not only effecting Pakistanis and Egyptians. I am an American and I am having a very similar, if not worse situation. I graduated college in 2011 at the age of 22 with a degree in Computer Engineering. I also converted to Islam after having met many Saudi friends who were studying English in my university. Soon after, I desired to visit Saudi Arabia and was offered a job from my friend's father. He told me that he is the owner of a big company and offered a good salary. However, when I arrived in Riyadh, I found that this was a trick. He did not have a big company. In fact, his company was only me, him and a driver. On top of that, he did not provide an apartment for me. I stayed for 6 months in the side room of his house with no bed, no furniture, just an empty room. I worked 6 days a week for 10 hours everyday and he didn't pay me any salary. Finally, I couldn't take this any more and I opened a case against him in the labor court. I have been waiting now another 5 months for the court process, without any salary and I still have not even seen the judge yet. When he found out that I opened a case against him, he held my iqama and my passport and refused to return them. I visited the Governor of Riyadh and he gave an order to the police for him to return my iqama and passport, but the police only returned my iqama and said that it is the right of the kafeel to hold my passport, even though the Governor ordered him to return it. I have tried talking to the American Embassy, but they said all that they can do is call my kafeel and ask him to return it. They cannot do anything more than that since it is an issue for local Saudi law. So what can I do? The police refuse to enforce the law, even when it comes directly from the Governor. On top of that I have barely enough money for food while waiting for the court process. Any advise or help would be greatly appreciated. An American, by email II. Thanks a lot for raising the issue but the reality is much worse. I paid SR5,000 to get my passport from my Saudi sponsor and I thought it was a "reasonable amount" as compared to what my friends and colleagues paid to their sponsors. Expats are not aware with the law mentioned in the article and not sure whether it can be enforced. Almost 99.5 percent of Saudi sponsors and sponsoring companies are holding their employees' passports and are not sure whether there is such a law against employers holding their employees' passports. Kashif Manzoor, Online response III. The article has raised a very valid point. But who cares! I don't think there are many foreigners who are in possession of their passports. Almost all sponsors are involved in this practice. There are some laws which are made but never followed. It is high time this practice is done away with. Dr. Mujahid A. Khan, Online response IV. All companies in Saudi Arabia, including big banks, hold the expats' passports. The old iqama has a page in black and white which supports custody of the passport and will only be released when the sponsor approves the exit re-entry of the employee. At the time, the employee must surrender his iqama in exchange. The question is why should a sponsor keep the passport. Is the passport office baby-sitting the sponsor for lack of control? Lu-ul Bezabih, Online response
